Side Effects of Mako
by Ms. Zeal
Summary: One Shot. Pre AC. After falling into a pool of mako, Cloud wakes up in the back of the truck on his way to that fateful mission in Nibelheim. With so little time, can he truly change anything that happened that day? And, why does he keep hearing Tifa's voice when she's not around? Not your typical time-travel story.


**Chapter 1**

The sky was overcast, the mountain air heavy with humidity as the dark gray clouds hung overhead. The ground was still muddy from the rainfall the previous night, making the steep trails treacherous to the careless hiker. A blonde swordsman riding a black chocobo steadily climbed the slippery path, the bird's claws digging deeply into the mud with each step. Bright blue eyes scanned the visible landscape, continually searching for some sign of the reason he was here. Cloud Strife sighed, glancing up again at the darkening sky as he thought back to the phone call that had brought him out here.

** . . . **

Cloud walked out of the store, opening one of the many compartments on his bike and putting his purchases inside. Some children laughing nearby caused him to glance up and he briefly reflected on how much Edge had grown in the last ten months since Meteor had destroyed Midgar. Everyone had pitched in to help build the new city and he was still surprised by how much they had accomplished in such a short time. Even Tifa had a new Seventh Heaven that was packed with customers every night. He shook his head, reminding himself that Tifa would want the supplies he was picking up before they opened today. He put the last bag in the compartment as his phone rang. He grabbed it, flicking it open without glancing at the caller ID.

"Strife," he answered, closing the compartment and latching it.

"Cloud Strife?" a voice asked.

"Who's asking?"

"Oh, forgive me, my name is Bill, I run the ranch south of Kalm. I believe we are taking care of four of your chocobos," he said.

Cloud nodded slightly. "What can I do for you?" he asked, leaning against his bike. "Is something wrong with one of my birds?"

"No. At least, not yet. I mean, there may _not _be a problem, but if it's happened once, it could happen again, and... Look, the reason I'm calling... Are you a SOLDIER?" he asked at last.

Cloud tensed, his eyes narrowing as he gripped the phone tightly. "Why?" he asked tersely. ShinRa Company had survived Meteor, but the revelation that they were slowly killing the Planet by harvesting mako energy as a fuel source didn't sit well with many people. Although the Company seemed to be trying to redeem themselves, there were still a lot of people who bore grudges, both old and new.

"I suppose it don't matter if you are or not," Bill replied at length, obviously hearing the warning in Cloud's tone. "But, you _can _use that big sword you always carry around, right?"

"Well enough."

"Used to be we'd call ShinRa for something like this and they'd send a couple SOLDIERs to take care of it," Bill explained. "I wasn't trying to insult you."

Cloud closed his eyes. "Why don't you just tell me what it is you want."

There was a heavy sigh. "There's a monster that's been giving us some trouble out here. Chloe, my granddaughter, has seen it in the grasslands a few times. Last night, it broke into one of the outbuildings and killed some of our stock."

"Broke into?"

"Yep, broke right through the wooden wall. No normal monster can do that."

"And you want me to come take care of it?" Cloud asked.

"Yes. We'll pay you, of course." Bill hesitated. "As I said, it used to be ShinRa would take care of things like this. I honestly didn't know who to call. Billy, my grandson, suggested calling you."

"Alright," Cloud said, moving to sit on the bike as he fished the keys from his pocket. He didn't have any pressing engagements and he could swing by the bar to drop off Tifa's supplies on his way out of town. "I'll be there in a couple of hours."

. . .

That was this morning. The blonde had been searching in the mountains for several hours now and was no closer to locating the elusive monster. He shook his head, turning his attention back to his surroundings. _Chloe said it always headed back to the mountains, but that's a lot of ground to cover. Maybe I should have stayed at the ranch and taken care of the monster the next time it appeared instead of trying to find it out here,_he thought.

He sighed as the first drop of rain landed on his arm, soon followed by another. He pulled out a jacket from one of the saddlebags, slipping it around his shoulders. "Come on," he said, pulling the reigns to turn the chocobo around. "There's a cave back there where we can wait out the storm."

It wasn't long before the drops turned into a downpour. The reduced visibility made it difficult to locate the cave and they were both drenched by the time they finally found the shelter. Dismounting, Cloud led the chocobo a little ways into the cave, stopping next to a luminous vein of mythril that bathed the tunnel in a soft blue light. The bird shook violently as soon as they stopped walking, fluffing out her feathers and sending water flying everywhere. When she was done, she began doing her best to preen her feathers around the saddle on her back.

Knowing she wouldn't leave it alone until every feather was once more in its proper place, Cloud started undoing the straps and belts, pushing her head away when she nipped at his fingers. He pulled the saddle off, laying it on the ground and allowing her to attack her back with gusto.

Shaking his head, Cloud began removing his outer clothing and laying them out on the floor as closely together as possible. When he had stripped down to his boxers, he made himself comfortable on the ground. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out again. The green materia in his bracer began to glow and a flame burst into being. Brow furrowing in concentration, Cloud kept his eyes shut, making the fire grow to fit the picture in his mind. Soon, there was a thin layer of flame hovering a few inches above the wet clothing.

He wasn't able to hold it for more than a few minutes, the flames vanishing as he leaned wearily against the feathered body behind him, absently noting the chocobo had joined him on the ground. He sat there breathing a little heavier than normal from the exertion. Using the materia in such a way didn't require a lot of energy per sae, but it more than made up for it in mental exhaustion. Casting was generally done with a short burst of energy to call forth the magic and then letting the spell run its course. Continuing to feed as well as controlling the magic for an extended period was considerably more difficult. He allowed himself a few minutes rest, shivering as a cool breeze danced across his skin from the cave's mouth. When he had recovered sufficiently, he summoning the flames again, keeping them near enough to dry the clothing but not close enough to cause any damage. He repeated this pattern until they were mostly dry, eagerly climbing back into the still-warm clothing.

The chocobo remained sitting on the ground as he moved back towards the cave entrance. Cloud wasn't surprised that night had fallen, shrouding everything outside in darkness. The rain seemed to be coming down as heavily as before, showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. He pulled out his phone, flipping it open briefly before replacing it in his pocket. "No service. Not surprising, but..." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "I don't want to spend the night here," he muttered. He chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head. "Of course, even if the rain did stop, I doubt I could find my way back in the dark."

He moved back over to the chocobo, scratching underneath her chin. "At least we won't be sitting in the darkness all night, right girl?" She crooned softly, leaning into his hand to beg for more attention when he stopped. Cloud was staring further into the cave, a contemplative look on his face. "There are as many interconnecting tunnels in the Mythril Mines as there are in the Nibelheim Mountains," he said slowly. "If I can find the main entrance that leads to marshes, it'll be a straight shot back to the Chocobo Ranch in the morning." He stared into the depths of the tunnel for a little while longer before shrugging. "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do."

It didn't take long to get the chocobo saddled again and soon they were deep within the mines. The mythril, while not overly bright, provided enough light to see the uneven parts on the ground and walls. After some time of aimless wandering, Cloud managed to find his way to the parts of the mine he was more familiar with. He would have smiled were it not for the fact that the chocobo seemed to be growing more restless as they continued making their way towards the cave's entrance. Whether it was because there were monsters in the area or an earthquake was about to hit, Cloud had learned to trust the bird's instincts.

One hand strayed to rest on the hilt of his sword, eyes continually scanning his surroundings as he lead the chocobo through the mines. The tunnel opened up into a large cavern, several passages branching off on one side. A soft green glow came from the large chasm that cut off any access to the other. The chocobo actually stopped walking, eyes darting around furtively. Without hesitation, Cloud dropped the reigns and drew his sword. There was something else in here with them.

A deep, rumbling growl was all the warning he got as a monster pounced on him from a high ledge somewhere above him. Cloud reflexively rolled to the side, lethal claws scoring the ground where he'd been standing. Quickly regaining his feet, he brought his sword up to block the next strike and got his first good look at the creature.

It looked like it might have been a type of large cat originally. Mostly covered in dark fur, the lithe creature spun around with incredible agility and launched itself at the swordsman with enough force to make Cloud slide back across the rock floor. Misshapen wings sprouted from its back, bony and sticking out at odd angles, obviously incapable of flight. Its whip-like tail split in two about halfway down, although one side was almost twice the length of the other. Large patches of fur were missing from its body, revealing light scales covering the skin underneath. Two nubs on its forehead looked like they might be the beginning of horns. Brightly glowing green eyes completed the look, confirming the creature was the result of some mutation.

Tensing his muscles, the blonde threw the monster back, watching as it twisted in the air to land on its feet. They both rushed forward, the large blade blocking each swipe of the claws while the cat nimbly evaded every sword strike. Frustration mounting, Cloud focused on his sword, pouring energy into it like he would a materia until the blade glowed blue with raw power.

The monster leapt forward to attack again, claw outstretched. Instead of blocking, Cloud leapt high into the air, spinning around and bringing the blade crashing down against the floor as he landed. The energy fled from the blade, destroying everything in its path as it raced across the ground in multiple directions. The creature was unable to get out of the way, roaring loudly before falling limply to the floor.

Cloud had no time to celebrate his victory as the ground crumbled beneath him. Belatedly he realized he had allowed himself to be pushed too close to the edge of the chasm and his attack had destroyed what little area he had to stand on. Twisting round to see where he was going to land, he cursed silently as he saw a large pool of mako rushing up to meet him. Despite all the enhancements his body had, he still had a surprisingly low tolerance for mako.

Unable to change his course, he merely closed his eyes, his chocobo's cries of distress echoing in his ears as he slipped beneath the glowing green surface of the Lifestream.

** . . . **

The first thing Cloud registered upon returning to consciousness was that he felt absolutely _miserable_. He was sitting in the back of a moving vehicle that was bouncing along some sort of winding dirt (or at least a very poorly maintained) road, and his stomach was threatening dire things unless the situation was remedied and SOON. One particularly sharp turn had him blindly grabbing something to hold on to with one hand and covering his mouth with the other, desperately trying to keep from being sick all over wherever he was. He somehow managed to get his stomach back under some semblance of control and he leaned his cheek against the cool metal wall next to him, moaning piteously.

A concerned hand rested lightly on his shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

_There _was a voice he recognized, even if it probably was just all in his head. "Yeah," he gasped, still not opening his eyes. "It's just been a while since-" He clenched his jaws together tightly as another wave of nausea washed over him. "-my motion sickness affected me this much."

The hand fell away from his shoulder. "I wouldn't know," Zack said, his voice sounding a little further away, as if he had stood up. "I've never gotten motion sickness."

Cloud almost laughed at the repeat of the conversation they'd had so many years ago. Knowing him, Zack was probably doing it on purpose, although he'd have to see the raven-haired SOLDIER's face to tell for sure. However, for some reason, whenever Zack or Aeris came to talk to him, they would always disappear when he tried to look at them. Whether it was some rule of being dead or if they really were just figments of his imagination, he didn't know. But, as he wasn't ready for Zack to leave just yet, he made sure to keep his eyes tightly closed. The fact that it also helped his nausea just bit was a bonus.

He listened to the rustle of Zack's clothes as the ex-SOLDIER moved around the small space restlessly. He remained silent, his queasiness discouraging conversation with his long-dead friend.

"Hey."

That was a new voice, one that had Cloud spinning in his seat to stare of the speaker. His body protested the sudden movement and he immediately doubled over, clutching his stomach almost desperately, but not before catching sight of the last person he had expected to see. Dressed in black with long silver hair and sharp, glowing green eyes, the general cut an impressive figure, even reclining in the back of the truck as he was. The ridiculously long Masamune was sheathed and resting against his shoulder.

"Settle down," Sephiroth continued, oblivious to Cloud's reaction to his presence.

"They gave me some new materia," Zack replied. "I can't wait to use it!" It sounded like he was doing squats, a habit he'd gotten into whenever he was excited.

"...just like a kid." Cloud could practically hear Sephiroth shaking his head.

All movement from Zack abruptly stopped. "You going to brief us on the mission?" he asked, trying to sound professional.

"...this isn't a typical mission."

Cloud focused on his breathing, trying to figure out the impossible situation he found himself in. There was no way this could be real. The past couldn't be changed. The dead didn't come back to life. Yet, here was not only Zack, but Sephiroth as well, sitting in the back of a truck on their way to that fateful mission in Nibelheim. He briefly considered the possibility of this being some sort of a hallucination, but discounted it as his stomach flipped when they hit a particularly bad pothole.

The truck jerked roughly as something collided with the outside and Cloud was thrown to the floor. He curled in on himself, unable to do anything more than moan as he vaguely registered Sephiroth's words.

"That would be our monster."

Cloud dimly noted that he should probably be embarrassed at making the two SOLDIER Firsts step over him to exit the vehicle, but at the moment he was simply too sick to care. Besides, Zack had seen him much worse than this and Sephiroth had done much worse to him. Or, at least, they would in the future. If he really _was _in the past.

A dragon roared outside, loud enough that Cloud could feel the vibrations running through the floorboards. Knowing the dragon would be taken care of easily enough (if it was even here at all), he turned his thoughts back to the events leading up to the current situation. _I was looking for that monster that had been killing the chocobos when it started raining. I headed into the caves and ran into it while searching for the exit. I killed it and fell into a pool of mako. So, how did I end up here?_ He shook his head. _This can't have been an accident. I've fallen into the Lifestream before without ending up in the past. So, what was different about this time? Did Aeris have something to do with this? Or, is the Planet itself giving me another chance?_ he wondered. _But, if so, why now? It's too late to stop Sephiroth's descent into madness- I can't get into the reactor to destroy Jenova, or the mansion to destroy everything in the basement. I might be able to wake Vincent early, but Sephiroth has no reason to believe either of us over Professor Gast's and Hojo's reports. What was the point of sending me back to THIS time? _He sighed quietly, his stomach settled enough for him to move back to the bench he'd been sitting on previously.

The SOLDIERs rejoined the troopers in the truck shortly thereafter, Zack taking the seat next to him. "You know, I hear that sitting up front helps with motion sickness, if you want to move up to the cab," he offered.

Vague recollections seemed to validate this claim and Cloud nodded slightly, dropping his eyes to the floor. He wasn't quite sure what to say to the man who had died saving him. And, it was a bit awkward sharing the back of a truck with a man who he had killed- twice.

Mistaking his actions for embarrassment, Zack clapped a friendly hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Don't worry about getting a little sick now and then. Everyone has problems with something," he said encouragingly, before cupping his hand over his mouth and leaning closer. "I even hear the _General _gets a little squeamish when facing anything with tentacles," he whispered conspiratorially.

Cloud rather doubted the truthfulness of that statement, given that every incarnation of Jenova he had fought (courtesy of Sephiroth) had tentacles. On the other hand, if it were true, it would be a rather cruel irony. The thought brought a small smile to Cloud's face.

The general, for his part, merely raised an eyebrow and gave Zack a sidelong glance before returning his attention to cleaning his sword. It seemed he was intimately familiar with Zack's quirky personality.

Exiting the back of the truck, Cloud walked around to the front passenger door and climbed in. The driver started the truck and continued down the road, seemingly content to forgo conversation. Cloud didn't mind in the slightest, his thoughts still centering on his predicament. _So, I'm not far back enough to actually change anything. What am I supposed to do? Damage control? Are the residents of Nibelheim really that important to the Planet? Or, is it Zack who I'm supposed to save?_ He narrowed his eyes in thought. _Zack doesn't stand a chance against Sephiroth as he is right now. Similarly, I don't have any enhancements at this point, either. Last time, Zack fought until he was too injured and exhausted to continue. I managed to get lucky and throw Sephiroth into the reactor core, but we were both handed over to Hojo to be his new guinea pigs afterward. I'm...not sure we can avoid that fate if we want to stop Sephiroth._

He leaned his head against the window, relishing the feel of the cool glass against his skin, even as his stomach twisted into knots that had nothing to do with motion sickness. _We'll have to go through all that again. Once news of Sephiroth's death reaches him, Hojo will be here to collect us for his lab. I...don't think that is something I can change._ He closed his eyes, his mood sinking even lower as another thought occurred to him. _Zack wasn't strong enough to beat Sephiroth. If he manages to somehow survive again this time, neither of us will be able to stop him unless we fall into Hojo's hands. _The notion of willingly letting both Zack and himself become that madman's lab rats made his insides run cold. But, he knew there was no way he could kill Sephiroth without Zack's help and even less chance of talking Zack into leaving the General alone after he razed the town.

The townspeople were another concern. Last time, Sephiroth had slaughtered most of the populace while ShinRa handed the survivors over to Hojo. After all, they couldn't leave behind any evidence that would tarnish the company's name.

Cloud sighed. He may not be able to save Zack and himself, but the townsfolk were a different matter entirely. He leaned back in his seat as he pondered the best way to clear the town, determined to save as many people as he could.

** . . . **

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived in Nibelheim. Cloud stepped out of the truck, taking a deep breath of the mountain air. Although he realized it was probably just his imagination, there had seemed to be a faint odor of charred wood lingering about the town after ShinRa's cover-up. Now, however, the air was fresh and clean, with an underlying tang of mako. It smelled like home.

Sliding his helmet back on, he fell into a loose formation with the other troopers as Sephiroth walked into the sleepy village. Cloud caught a brief glimpse of Tifa ducking around the corner as the general paused just inside the gate. "How does it feel?" he asked, glancing back over his shoulder at the blonde. "It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So how does it feel?" He turned his head back, and Cloud almost missed the slight longing in his tone as he continued. "I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown..."

Zack picked up on it, as well. "Ummm...how 'bout your parents?" the raven-haired SOLDIER asked.

Sephiroth didn't turn around as he answered. "My mother is Jenova. She died right after she gave birth to me. My father..." He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "What does it matter...?"

Recognizing this as a sore subject, Zack let it drop.

Sephiroth nodded sharply, as if redirecting his focus to the task at hand. "All right, let's go."

They walked over to the local inn, Sephiroth stepping inside and speaking briefly with the proprietor. "We leave for the reactor at dawn," he stated, rejoining the group. "Make sure you get to sleep early. All we need is one lookout, so you others, get some rest." Having given the assignments, he turned to head back inside. He paused, his hand resting on the door handle. "Oh, that's right..." he muttered, turning around once more and looking at Cloud. "You may visit your family and friends," he said before disappearing back into the inn.

Zack clapped him on the back. "Go on, Cloud," he said, pushing the blonde away from the inn. "Patterson can take the first watch. You go and visit your family."

Cloud didn't argue. He was looking forward to seeing his mom again. Eight years... It was such a long time. He changed so much from the bright-eyed, idealistic youth that had left Nibelheim to join SOLDIER.

He rounded the corner of the water tower, only to find Tifa standing there. She was peaking around the opposite side, looking at the soldiers standing outside the inn. Thus preoccupied, she didn't notice him come up behind her.

Last time, he hid behind his helmet, too ashamed to face her since he hadn't yet made it into SOLDIER. However, doing so had caused many problems down the road. Sephiroth had been able to confuse and control him because he hadn't remembered what really happened. It's likely that entire situation could have been easily adverted if Tifa had been able to set the record straight back at the beginning of their journey. He couldn't afford to make that same mistake now that he had a second chance.

Cloud cleared his throat to get Tifa's attention. She spun around, eyes wide and cheeks turning red at having been caught spying. "I-I'm sorry! I wasn't- I mean, I was just trying to-" she floundered, tripping over her words as she tried to explain.

Cloud held up his hands. "Hey, calm down. I don't think it's illegal to stare at people, Tifa," he said.

She clasped her hands behind her back, staring at the ground as she pushed some dirt around with her toe. She started as his words sank in. "Wait- how do you know my name?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Well, that's because..." Cloud took off his helmet, running a hand through his hair before he met her eyes. "I'm from here."

"Cloud!" Tifa squealed, throwing her arms around him. Cloud stiffened, shocked by her sudden embrace. Before he could even think of returning it, she released him and stepped back, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she avoided looking at him. "I, uh, I mean, it's good to see you," she said, the blush creeping back up on her cheeks.

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Yeah," he said. "Been about two years, right?"

"Yeah."

They stood there in silence, Cloud feeling like he was an awkward teenager all over again. Small talk had never been his forte.

"So," Tifa said at length, finally returning her gaze to the blonde. "This is what a SOLDIER uniform looks like?" she asked.

"No," Cloud said, shaking his head. "This is what the infantrymen wear."

Tifa cocked her head to the side. "So, you didn't make it into SOLDIER then?" she asked.

Cloud opened his mouth to reply, but someone else beat him to it. "Well, look who's back," a tall muscular teen said, walking up to the two. "Tifa, don't tell me that this loser is who you were waiting for all day." He casually slung his arm around Tifa's shoulders.

"Get lost, Jason," Tifa said, shrugging his arm off and stepping away from him.

"I was just coming to say 'hello' to my favorite punching bag," Jason said, smirking at Cloud.

The blonde almost sighed. "If you attack me, I will be forced to defend myself and cannot be held accountable for what might happen after that," he deadpanned. After getting some pointers about hand-to-hand combat from an adult Tifa, as well as several sneakier moves from Vincent, plus Cloud's own not-inconsiderable experience with fighting, Jason wouldn't stand a chance.

"Oh, you think you're so tough jus' cuz you in the army now? All I see is a scrawny little nobody who can't fight his way out of a wet paper bag," Jason sneered, throwing a quick punch at the blonde.

Cloud jerked his head to the side, avoiding the hit while grabbing Jason's wrist and twisting his arm around behind his back. His other arm reflexively snaked around the taller teen's neck, forcing him to bend backwards. "Don't be so sure about that," he hissed in the older boy's ear.

"Cloud..." Tifa was wringing her hands, as if she weren't sure whether or not to interfere.

Cloud closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before releasing Jason and stepping back. "I have no interest in fighting you. Get lost."

Jason spun around, an angry retort ready on the tip of his tongue.

Cloud stared at him, doing his best to keep his expression blank. Something must have shown in his eyes, however, because Jason took a half-step back before stopping himself.

"You'll regret that, Strife," he promised before beating a hasty retreat.

"Wow, you really have changed," Tifa said after Jason was out of sight. "Before, you would have used any advantage you had over him in a fight. For a minute there, I thought you were going to beat him to a pulp."

Cloud took another deep breath, slowly releasing it. _So did I, _he thought. He had been surprised by the level of animosity that surged up when Jason tried to punch him. He shook his head. "It wouldn't be a fair fight," he said. "At any rate, I should be going. Sephiroth wants to get an early start in the morning."

"Oh, it is getting late, isn't it?" Tifa asked, watching as the sun slipped behind the mountain peaks. "I guess I should be heading home, too. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Cloud!" she said, spinning on her heal and heading towards her house.

"Yeah." He watched her go, marveling at how energetic and full of life she was. So different from the woman he knew she became. _Of course, witnessing your father's murder and the destruction of your hometown will do that to a person,_he thought, shaking his head. If all went well, he'd be able to save her from all that.

Putting those thoughts aside for later, he turned his feet towards his mother's house and went home.

** . . . **

Skye Strife was just as vibrant as Cloud remembered. She had just been about to start making dinner when he had shown up and naturally insisted he stay. Not having had one of her home-cooked meals in almost a decade, he readily agreed. The visit itself was much more enjoyable than he remembered it being the first time around. In hindsight, he supposed that having to return to his hometown without having made it into SOLDIER had put his teenaged self into a rather sulky mood and he had inadvertently taken it out on his mother. With the crushing feelings of disappointment and failure gone (at least, from not making it into the program), he was free to relish this brief reunion with someone who, just yesterday, was merely a ghost from the past.

After dinner had been cleaned up, he sat near the fire, staring pensively into the flames while his mother hand-stitched blocks together for a quilt. The dancing flames reminded him that the town would soon be engulfed by the raging fire of Sephiroth's insanity. He didn't realize his mother had put down her sewing and leaned close to him until a slender hand rested on his knee. His gaze slid to hers, questioningly.

"You always get that far-off look on your face when something's bothering you," she said, holding his hand between both of hers. "What's wrong, darling? You can tell me."

Cloud chuckled softly, shaking his head. _No, I really don't think I can. _Aloud, he said, "Oh, it's just that I didn't plan on coming back here until I made it to SOLDIER. I told everyone I was going to join before I left, and now..." He shrugged.

Half-expecting her to laugh at him being upset over such a minor thing, he was surprised when she squeezed his hand. "It's only been two years. I'd imagine it takes longer than that to make it into such an elite group as SOLDIER," she said, smiling encouragingly. "Just give it some time, continue working hard and I know you'll make it someday."

He couldn't help but return her smile. "Yeah, you're probably right." _Even if there is no hope for it now. _Chancing a glance out the window, he was a little surprised to see the stars were already out. "I probably should get back," he said, pushing himself to his feet. "The General gave me permission to visit my family, not abandon the mission."

Skye rose to her feet as well, walking him to the door. "It's good to see you again, Cloud," she said, hugging him tightly. "I know your letters say that everything is fine, but I can't help but worry."

"I know, mom." He returned the embrace, holding her just as tightly as he breathed in her scent. "I've missed you," he whispered.

"I've missed you too." She held him for a little longer before he reluctantly pulled away. "Be careful," she admonished. "SOLDIER or not, you know how dangerous those mountains can be."

"I will." He started down the front walk before hesitating. "I love you," he said, half-turning back to look at her.

Skye looked surprised at the uncharacteristic words from the sixteen-year-old, but her lips curved into a gentle smile. "I love you too, Cloud."

Not trusting himself to speak past the lump that had appeared in his throat, Cloud nodded and continued on to the inn, not looking back.

** . . . **

Morning dawned cold and grey, the troopers' breath barely misting in the air as they waited for Zack to arrive. Sephiroth stood a few yards away, talking to Mayor Lockhart.

"Sorry I'm late!" Zack said, jogging up to join the group. "Are we ready to go?"

"Once the guide gets here, we're heading out," Sephiroth answered, walking back to his subordinates and away from the mayor.

Lockhart apparently wasn't finished. "Listen to me, Sephiroth. In case something happens..." he began, following the General.

Sephiroth almost sighed, but didn't look back at the man. "Trust me," he said. His eyes slid over to the young brunette that was walking quickly to meet them.

Tifa joined the group, smiling at the mayor. "I'll be all right, Dad! I have two men from SOLDIER with me." Lockhart muttered something underneath his breath and turned away, clearly not liking the situation. Seeing he was done trying to interfere (for the moment), Tifa turned to the SOLDIERs. "I'm Tifa," she said, extending her hand. "And I happen to be the number one guide in this town."

Pleasantries were exchanged and brief introductions were made. Once the requisite small talk was out of the way, Sephiroth glanced around to make sure he had everyone's attention. "Let's go," he said, heading out of town towards the path up the mountains.

One of the townspeople that had gathered to see them off stepped forward. "Mr. Sephiroth!" he called out, nervously clutching a camera in his hands. "Please let me take one picture for a memento!"

Sephiroth halted abruptly, and Cloud would have sworn the general almost rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Tifa, you ask him too," the townsman pleaded.

Zack shrugged. "One picture won't take that long," he reasoned, moving over to get the ShinRa mansion as the backdrop. At his beckoning, Tifa joined him and he gave his superior a rather pointed look.

Eyes closed briefly in annoyance, Sephiroth spun on his heel and stalked towards them. He was moving again as soon as the camera flashed, eager to get the mission started. "Let's go."

"I'll send you each a copy once I get them developed!" the townsman called as they left the city limits.

The first part of the hike was pretty straight forward, only one path to follow until they got deeper into the mountains, so Tifa used the opportunity to fall back and walk beside the infantrymen. Neither one of them had reacted to her presence, leaving her wondering how to tell which one was Cloud without asking outright.

"Honestly, we don't look that much alike," Cloud teased after several minutes of watching Tifa cast discreet glances at both him and Patterson, obviously trying to decide which was which.

Tifa punched his arm lightly for not speaking up sooner. "You guys are wearing the same uniform and helmets that cover half of your face! You look _exactly _alike!" she exclaimed.

He shrugged, feeling oddly contrary. "To the untrained eye, perhaps..." He said, allowing a bit of a smug smile to turn the corner of his lips.

"Oh, you're horrible," she said, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout.

He laughed, having forgotten how easily riled she was at this age. "I'm sorry, Tifa," he apologized. He glanced over at Patterson, who was starting to fall behind. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask," he started, turning his attention back to the brunette. "You aren't planning on using the old bridge, are you?"

She looked a little surprised by the question. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's the fastest way up to the reactor, right?"

"Yeah, but that bridge has a history of breaking. It hasn't been replaced six years, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, right after that last time..." She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

He shook his head. "It's okay, I don't blame you for that," he assured her. "But, I don't think taking the bridge is a good idea. It broke under a couple of kids' weight last time, and now we've got four men. It might be prudent to take the longer path."

Tifa was silent for a few minutes, thinking about his words. "I guess you're probably right," she said at length. She flashed him an impish grin. "Besides, I'm being paid by the hour."

Cloud couldn't help but smile, shaking his head. He looked over his shoulder, noting Patterson had fallen much further behind. "Zack," he called, getting the ebony-haired SOLDIER's attention. "Looks like the city boy can't quite keep up."

Zack chuckled at the inside joke, but also spoke a few quiet words to Sephiroth. "We'll take a short break," the General said, leaning casually against a large rock. Zack stood next to him, grinning victoriously. Cloud swore he heard something about 'country boys' and 'told you so,' but the words were soft enough that from this distance he couldn't be sure.

Making himself comfortable on the ground, Cloud waited for Patterson to catch up, absently noting Tifa sat next to him.

"Oh, Cloud." Tifa's voice was faint, as if spoken softly across a crowded room. He could barely make out the words. "Why do you keep doing this to me?"

"Huh?" Cloud asked, turning to look at Tifa. "What?"

She was gazing up the trail pensively. "I was just thinking about the last time we were here," she said. "I truly thought that Mama was on the other side of the mountains- that I could see her again if I crossed over them." She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry about what happened, by the way. I told Papa it was my idea to go and that I didn't even know you were there, but he wouldn't listen. He can be really stubborn sometimes."

Cloud shook his head. "You were in a coma for a full week after the bridge broke. No one knew when or even if you were going to wake up and this happened the same day your mother died... While I don't agree with how he handled the situation, I can understand why he did it. It's not easy coping with that much loss all at once." He laughed ruefully. "And, I've always been a rather convenient scapegoat."

She turned to look at him, as if seeing him for the first time. "You know, you're a lot more forgiving than I remember."

He smiled wryly. "At lot has happened since you saw me last. I guess...it's given me a bit of perspective about what's truly important," he shrugged.

"Break's over," Sephiroth called, pushing himself back to his feet. "Miss Lockhart, as the trail splits up ahead, I think it would be beneficial for you to take point from here on out," he stated.

"All right," Tifa chirped, hurrying over to the two SOLDIERs as Cloud helped Patterson to his feet.

"We've been through this before, right? We'll get you through this again, I promise." Tifa's faint voice was full of sorrow, and he whipped his head around, brows furrowed in confusion. However, the brunette was already in the lead, striding confidently up the trail in front of the Zack and Sephiroth. No one else seemed to have heard the strange remark.

Zack glanced back, noting the blonde was just standing there, a bewildered expression on his face. "Yo, Cloud! You aren't going to let that city boy beat you to the top, are ya?" he asked, gesturing to Patterson who was doing his best to match the SOLDIERs pace. "Get the lead out, already!"

Cloud jumped slightly, startled out of his thoughts. "Sorry," he apologized, hurrying to catch up while turning the odd comment over in his mind.

. . .

It was several hours later when they reached the summit. "Here we are! Mt. Nibel Reactor, as promised!" Tifa said as they exited the cave behind the towering structure. "If Mr. Sephiroth would be good enough to unlock the door, we can go inside!"

"Whoa, wait a minute! You have to wait here," Zack said, pointing at the ground for emphasis.

"No, I'm wanna see what's inside! That's half the reason why I brought you here!" she argued, stamping her foot.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, before walking up the metal staircase to the door. "Only authorized personnel are allowed in. This place is full of ShinRa's industrial secrets," he said, casually tossing the words over his shoulder.

"But-!"

"Cloud, you two seem to be good friends. Please take care of the little lady," Zack said, cutting Tifa off before following Sephiroth up the steps.

Tifa turned to the blonde. "Cloud-"

The blonde shook his head as Patterson moved to guard the stairs in case Tifa decided to rush the door. "Sorry, Tifa. Orders are orders," the blonde said, shrugging.

"Oh, you're no fun at all!" she exclaimed, pointedly turning away and crossing her arms.

Cloud chuckled softly opting to patrol around the perimeter to assure no monsters tried to sneak up on them from behind. He was making his second pass on the far side of the reactor when he heard Tifa start talking again, although he had to strain to catch the words.

"Thanks for taking her. I don't think I could take care of both of them right now and, honestly, I'd rather she didn't see him like this."

Cloud stopped walking, trying to make sense of the words. _What on Gaia is she talking about? _he wondered, quickly walking back around to the front. Tifa hadn't moved, defiantly standing at the cliff's edge, although her stance had relaxed substantially. Patterson had gone from standing in front of the stairs to sitting on them once it appeared Tifa wasn't going to try to force her way in. Cloud almost felt sorry for the guy. Hiking really wasn't one of his strengths.

Cloud slowly approached Tifa from behind, making sure to make some noise so he didn't startle her. "You know, we're not allowed inside either, if it makes you feel any better," he said by way of apology.

She shrugged, showing that she was mostly over the disappointment. "I just thought it'd be kinda cool, you know? No one else has been inside the reactor and it's highly likely no one ever will- especially with _those _rules," she grumbled, throwing a dirty look at the reactor over her shoulder.

Cloud smiled. "You know, you can still have bragging rights," he said. "How many of the others can say they were personally kicked out by Sephiroth himself?"

She chuckled at the weak attempt at a joke. "It's not quite the same."

"True enough." Cloud let his gaze wander back to the reactor. _Might as well initiate the plan. _"You know, there's probably nothing in there that you want to see, anyway."

She looked up at him, cocking her head to the side. "What makes you say that? I thought you weren't allowed inside, either?"

Cloud shook his head. "We're not, but, well..." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "The official reason we're here was to fix a malfunction in the reactor, right?" When she nodded, he continued. "Well, why do you think they would send a couple of SOLDIERs to do that? Wouldn't a team of mechanics be better suited for the job?"

Tifa blinked, obviously not having considered that before.

"And, they didn't send just any SOLDIERs- they sent two First Class. They think that some monsters may have broken into the reactor somehow and ended up being mutated. Zack and the General are trying to determine how many there might be and where they are now."

Almost as if on cue, Sephiroth emerged from the reactor, Zack following closely on his heels. The silver-haired general looked rather out of sorts, as if his world had just been turned upside-down. And honestly, Cloud supposed it had.

The group made the long trek back to town in silence, Zack continually casting worried glances at the general while Tifa did the same to both of them. Cloud felt a bit bad about lying to her outright but, he reasoned, if it ended up saving her and the rest of the village, it would be but a small price to pay.

It was after dark by the time they finally made it back to town. Mayor Lockhart was waiting for them on the outskirts and rushed to hug Tifa when he saw her. He gave her a quick once over, despite her protests that she was just fine before they both disappeared down the street to their house.

It had been a hard day for everyone, albeit for different reasons, so Cloud offered to take the first watch. Patterson wearily sank down onto the bed, not even bothering to remove his boots and was practically asleep before his head hit the pillow. Sephiroth wordlessly laid down on another bed, staring unseeingly at the ceiling. Zack hesitated, looking desperately like he wanted to say something, but eventually decided against it and curled up on the last bed, turning so that he faced the wall.

Cloud silently watched them for a few minutes before heading downstairs to begin his rounds.

** . . . **

Cloud was woken early in the morning by a worried Zack looking for Sephiroth. Receiving confirmation that the General was still in bed when the blonde woke Patterson for the next shift, Zack left the room, determined to find the wayward commander. Splashing some cold water on his face to help himself wake up, Cloud also left the inn.

Having the advantage of knowing where Sephiroth was found last time, the blonde immediately headed to the ShinRa mansion. He bypassed most of the rooms, heading for the first bedroom on the right of the second floor. It took him a few minutes to find the secret latch that opened up a section of the wall, but soon he was heading down the winding rickety stairs heading down into the basement. He walked down the hall, past the locked door where Vincent resided and into Hojo's laboratory. He shuddered slightly in there, unable to bring himself to look at the specimen tanks where he and Zack would spend the next four years. He hurried through the lab to the door on the other side, poking his head through. As expected, Sephiroth had squirreled himself away in there, a number of volumes already littering the area as he paced around the library, devouring the contents of the book in his hand. He was completely oblivious to everything around him.

Having verified Sephiroth's location, Cloud quickly made his way back into town. "Zack!" he called, jogging over to where the raven-haired SOLDIER was talking to some townspeople.

Zack finished up his conversation quickly, turning to Cloud. "Did you find anything?" he asked.

Cloud nodded. "He's in the ShinRa mansion," he reported. "Down in the basement."

Zack immediately headed to the mansion, Cloud following on his heels. The blonde took the lead once they were inside, heading to the room on the second floor. "This section of the wall was open when I checked here earlier. Took me a little bit to figure out how to get it closed again," he said, showing him how to open the secret entrance. He stepped back as the seemingly solid brick wall swung open on silent hinges. He made no move to go down the old staircase within. "Sephiroth...he's...not acting like himself," he explained at Zack's questioning look.

Zack didn't reply, just nodded sharply and disappeared into the depths of the basement. Cloud waited in the room, trying to decide on the best way to approach the subject when Zack returned.

Ten to fifteen minutes later, Zack mounted the staircase, looking decidedly more troubled than he had before venturing down below. "Did you find him?" Cloud asked, knowing the answer but needing something to break the ice.

"Yeah," Zack said, running a hand through his hair. "I did. I don't know what's so interesting in those books, but he's reading them like..." He trailed off, not quite able to find the word he was looking for.

Cloud had no such compunctions. "...like a man possessed," he finished.

Zack looked at him sharply before sighing. He sat heavily on the bed, shoulders slumping as he rested his elbows on his knees. "...Yeah."

"I, uh..." Cloud hesitated. "I think we should evacuate the town."

That got Zack's attention.

"Just hear me out," Cloud begged, holding up his hands pleadingly as Zack scowled at him. "Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley, Sephiroth's two lieutenants. Something happened and Genesis deserted, taking a lot First Class SOLDIERs with him. Then, he started attacking every ShinRa base he could find. Angeal Hewley disappeared in Wutai, for reasons unknown, but resurfaced in Modeoheim." His eyes dropped along with his voice, unable to look at Zack. "I don't need to remind you how that mission ended."

"This is different, Cloud," Zack said tersely.

"Yes, it is," he agreed, his voice taking on a hard edge. "But, at the same time, it isn't. Angeal was only aiming to incapacitate Tseng and myself, hoping to force you to kill him, for whatever reason. The question, Zack, is why?"

"Why?"

"What caused the sudden and abrupt change in behavior? I don't know much about Genesis, but Angeal's strict honor code was practically legendary amongst the cadets. What was so bad that he did everything he could to force his own student to kill him?"

Zack was silent a moment before answering. "He...thought that he was a monster," was the hollow reply.

Knowing how close the two had been, Cloud hated using Angeal against him like this. But, he didn't know how else to convince Zack of the very real danger Sephiroth presented. He turned to face the window, gazing out at the town. "I don't know what happened inside the reactor, but I do know that this is not normal behavior. And, I hate to say it, but it seems to me that when First Class SOLDIERs start acting strange, bad things usually happen not too long after." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm just hoping we can limit the number of casualties this time."

Zack shook his head. "Supposing we do evacuate the town. What reason can we give? I don't think we can say that ShinRa's poster boy might be about to go off the deep end," he said, smiling humorlessly.

"We tell them that some monsters got into the reactor and were badly mutated. It's too dangerous to stay here until SOLDIER has been able to hunt down and neutralize the threat. Make the evacuation mandatory." The blonde shrugged. "If nothing comes of it, you can just tell them that the monsters were taken care of before they reached the town."

"You really have everything worked out, don't you?" Zack asked, shaking his head. "You probably missed your calling as a Turk. But...I still don't know if it's a good idea."

"Please, Zack." Cloud turned around, meeting the SOLDIER's eyes. "Maybe you're right and Sephiroth will be fine. But, if he decides to follow Genesis example..." He trailed off, looking imploringly at Zack. "This is my home."

The silence stretched between them before Zack finally nodded. "All right," he said at last, pushing himself to his feet. "We'll do this your way." He walked out of the room, clapping Cloud on the shoulder. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

Cloud nodded, the immense relief he felt reflected on his face. "Right."

** . . . **

Though the hour was still early, Mayor Lockhart met them as they were coming down the road from the ShinRa manor. "What's this I'm hearing about monsters?" he demanded without preamble, poking one pudgy finger in Zack's chest. "I thought you people were out here to fix that reactor!"

Zack gave Cloud a sidelong glace before turning his full attention back to the mayor. "We were initially sent to repair a damaged unit in the reactor," he stated, calling upon his considerable experience writing up reports to make his explanation sound more official. "However, upon further investigation of the matter, we discovered evidence that some monsters managed to get into the reactor and were mutated by the mako being processed there." He paused, appraising the man. There was no way this was going to go over well. "I'm afraid you're going to have to issue a mandatory evacuation until we are able to get the situation under control."

"What!" The mayor definitely did not look pleased.

"Judging by the damage done inside the reactor, the beast was quite large to begin with, and would have only grown larger once the mutations began," Zack said a little too quickly, trying to figure out how to convince the stubborn man. "We also found evidence that indicates it is slowly making its way towards the town."

This made Lockhart pause. The town was rather isolated and didn't have much in the way of defenses. "How big was it to start with?" he asked, rather grudgingly.

Zack panicked internally, although he was careful not to let anything show on his face. Not being overly familiar with the area, he wasn't entirely sure what would be considered 'quite large' and what would fall into the category 'obviously made up.' Cloud came to his rescue, stepping forward as he answered. "Judging by the hole, it would have to be about the size of a Nibel dragon. And the tracks indicate there were two, one considerably smaller than the other."

The mayor blanched a little at that, losing some of his cockiness. "Two dragons, you say...?"

Cloud nodded.

Lockhart swore softly under his breath. "How long will it take you to deal with the problem?"

Zack shrugged. "One week, two tops."

Lockhart nodded sharply. "I'll call an emergency town meeting and explain the situation." He started walking away before pausing. "If you happen to get carried away and any of the houses are damaged-"

"The company will reimburse you for any lost or damaged property," Zack assured him.

The mayor nodded, continuing down the road at the quick pace.

Zack turned to Cloud. "Why dragons?" he asked.

"Normal people take the threat of dragons seriously, Zack," Cloud explained. "Especially mutated ones."

Zack shrugged. "I didn't even know there _were _dragons up there. We didn't see any yesterday."

"Oh, they're there," Cloud assured him. "Not a lot of them, but they're there."

"Speaking of dragons," Zack began, folding his arms across his chest, "you wouldn't happen to know where Lockhart heard about us being here to take care of monsters in the area, now would you?"

Cloud rubbed the back of his head, thinking quickly. "I, uh, may have mentioned the monster that attacked the truck to Tifa," he said, not quite meeting Zack's eye.

The SOLDIER quirked an eyebrow. "Is that right?"

Cloud nodded mutely, hoping Zack wouldn't find Tifa to verify his story.

Zack noticed his discomfort. "Hey, calm down, you're not in trouble," he said, clapping his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "It's not like that was confidential information, anyway." He shook his head. "I'm just not sure how hearing about a monster attacking us on the way here led him to the conclusion we were here to deal with monsters- or why that's a bad thing."

"Mayor Lockhart is a bit of a control freak," Cloud said, shrugging. "He's probably upset that he wasn't consulted before we were allowed to step foot into his town."

Zack stared at him. "Seriously?"

"The guy tried to have me arrested when I was nine, Zack."

"For _what?_" Zack asked, incredulous.

"Walking up Mt Nibel without permission." Okay, so the near death of his only daughter on the same day his wife had died had undoubtedly influenced his decision, but Zack didn't need to know the details.

The raven-haired SOLDIER just stared. "Dude, you've got a seriously screwed up hometown, you know that, right?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "It's an isolated village in the middle of nowhere. You trying to tell me Gongaga doesn't have its fair share of crazies?"

"Not like that."

"Uh-huh."

"Anyway, we're in a bit too deep to change our minds now," Zack said, clasping his hands behind his head. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens from here."

** . . . **

The emergency town meeting went about as Cloud had expected. The people of Nibelheim were a hardy lot by necessity, living in such a remote area without much contact with anyone else. They didn't take the order to evacuate well at all.

The meeting had been going strong for two hours before Cloud slipped away, leaving Zack with the mayor to convince the general populace. He wasn't in a position to contribute to the discussion and the arguments were starting to get repetitive.

Cloud walked down the main street that ran through the town, eyes on the ground as his thoughts wandered. _Why do they have to be so obstinate? Can't they see we're only trying to help? Do they want to die that badly?_ He shook his head, taking a calming breath. _Of course not. They don't know what's going to happen. And, it's not exactly like I can tell them, either. If this were anywhere else, any other town, the evacuation order would be obeyed without question. But, I guess ShinRa didn't feel the need to establish itself here beyond the presence of the reactor, and that's so far out of town that it's easy to forget it's even there._ He sighed, running a hand through his hair. _Zack could probably force the issue, but I don't think he will. He wasn't too thrilled about the evacuation to begin with. But, what's the point of being sent back if I can't save anyone...?_

"You're strong, Cloud. Stronger than you know. You can get through this."

Tifa's soft but encouraging voice startled him and he looked up, realizing he was standing outside of his mother's house. He looked next door, expecting to see the young brunette on the other side of the fence, but the yard was empty. A quick scan of the windows showed she hadn't called from there, nor was she on the street. A bit perplexed, he folded his arms, wondering where she was hiding and why.

"Cloud?"

He looked up at his mother's voice, the woman coming up around the side of the house with a box in her arms. "It's not locked, you know," she said, putting the box in the bed of her truck.

Cloud blinked, taking a moment to register that she was talking about the front door. "That's not why I'm out here," he said.

Skye moved closer to him, one eyebrow raised questioningly. He looked away. "Alright," she said slowly when he didn't offer anything further, "then, why are you out here?"

Cloud shrugged. "I don't know. I decided to take a walk and ended up here."

"It's about the evacuation, isn't it?"

Cloud's gaze snapped back to his mother's, obviously startled. "What?"

"You're worried about the evacuation," Skye stated matter-of-factly.

Cloud chuckled a bit humorlessly at how easy his mother read him. "Yeah, I guess I am," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

Skye smiled at the embarrassed gesture. "Is it really that dangerous to stay?" she asked, her voice becoming serious.

"Yeah, it is," Cloud said, sighing as his gaze slid over the town. "That's why it's standard procedure to evacuate a town when there is a threat of strong monsters nearby," he lied. "But, I don't think Zack will actually make anyone leave." He paused turning back to his mother. "You _are _leaving, aren't you?" he asked.

"Are you?" the older blonde countered.

Cloud blinked, taken back. "Uh...no," he admitted.

"You expect me to go, leaving my son alone in such a dangerous situation?" Her tone was carefully neutral.

"This is what I signed up for, mom," he said. "It's my job, what I've been trained for. Besides, I'm not alone- I have two SOLDIER Firsts with me."

"And, they can't take care of it by themselves?"

Cloud shrugged, using the gesture to stall for a few more seconds to come up with an answer. "SOLDIERs aren't invincible. They need someone with materia who's not directly involved in the fighting to act as their support," he explained, hoping it didn't sound quite as ridiculous to her as it did to him. He knew from first hand experience that Sephiroth in particular didn't need anyone backing him up.

Skye sighed. "Well, if your mind's made up, there's no use trying to change it." She smiled ruefully. "You get your stubbornness from your father," she said, gently tweaking his nose.

Cloud returned her smile briefly before becoming serious once more. "You _are _leaving, right?" he asked again.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving," she assured him. "I left the meeting when everyone started arguing. I'm just about ready to go, actually."

Cloud blinked, looking at the suspiciously empty truck. "You're not taking much, are you?"

Skye shrugged. "That young man from SOLDIER said we wouldn't have to be gone long," she explained.

"Right."

She tilted her head to the side, scrutinizing her son. "Why? Is there something I should know about?" she asked.

Cloud shook his head. "No," he answered a little too quickly. She studied him for a moment and he found himself once more unable to meet her eyes. He stiffened slightly in surprise as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sure you have your reasons for not being able to tell me," she said, holding him tightly. "Just, promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

"I will," Cloud said softly, swallowing hard past the lump in his throat. He returned her embrace just as tightly, knowing that the next time she heard about him, it would be a notification of his 'death.' "I promise."

** . . . **

The town meeting finally ended in the early afternoon, with most of the residents heading home and packing up. A few people left before dark, but the majority headed out the following day. Zack had sent Patterson ahead to Cosmo Canyon and Gongaga to alert the towns of the evacuees coming their way as well as to serve as their contact once it was 'safe' for everyone to come back. There was a more or less steady stream of cars heading out of town all day, petering off as the sun sank lower in the sky. By dusk, it looked like a ghost town, the few residents who stayed behind remaining indoors for the most part.

Everyone was so busy with the evacuation that no one questioned the conspicuous absence of the Silver General.

"Looks like it's just you and me now," Zack commented, walking down the lonely street. "It sure is a different town with everyone gone."

At his side, Cloud nodded. "Yeah. Won't be much different after dark, though. There's not much of a nightlife here."

"That's true of most small towns," the SOLDIER said, shrugging. "But we'll have to expand our rounds to include the whole town now. You know, to keep those that stayed honest." His eyes strayed to the large mansion on the north side of the town. "As long as Sephiroth stays holed up in there, we can say he's out tracking our 'monster.' " He sighed, shaking his head. "I wish I knew what was down there that was so interesting."

"Have you asked him?"

"I tried." Zack tilted his head back, staring at the first stars as they became visible in the sky. "He won't talk to me. Says he wants to be alone. I just..." He trailed off, shaking his head again. "I just don't understand what's going on anymore."

Cloud remained silent, not finding the words to comfort his friend.

"Please don't give up!"

The blonde whirled around as Tifa's earnest voice easily pierced the silence, blue eyes searching for the brunette.

Zack stopped, tensing slightly as he turned towards the younger man. "What's wrong?" he asked tersely, his hand resting of the handle of his sword.

"I...heard Tifa's voice," he answered, a bit uncertainly. The words were as clear as if she'd been sitting right next to him. "You didn't hear her?"

"Tifa...? The guide?" Zack asked, confused. His eyes lightened in understanding and he relaxed, dropping his hand from his sword. "Oh, I see. You got a thing for the mayor's daughter, huh?"

Cloud blinked. "What?" What did that have to do with anything?

"Look, if you wanted to arrange some sort of tryst, you should have talked to her about it this morning. The mayor made sure she was one of the first ones out of town," Zack said, shrugging.

"No, that's not-" Cloud floundered, feeling like a teenager all over again as he felt his cheeks heating up. Part of his mind wondered how it was that Zack could get a rise out of him so easily. "That's not what I meant!"

"Uh-huh." Zack didn't sound convinced. He looped an arm around Cloud's neck, forcing the blonde to bend over while the SOLDIER ruffled his hair. "Whatever you say, lover-boy."

Cloud took a deep, calming breath. "Look, can you just call and make sure she's there?" he asked, keeping his tone level.

Zack released him, his grin fading slightly as he realized the blonde was serious. "Yeah, I'll call," he said, taking out his phone, dialing Patterson's number. "I guess, if it were my girl, I'd want to make sure she was out of harm's way, too," he commented quietly, turning away slightly as he listened to it ring.

Cloud didn't respond, but waited a bit anxiously for the trooper to answer.

"Hi, it's Zack. The last of the residents left about twenty minutes ago, so they should be there in a couple hours...Okay...Uh-huh...Good. Hey, I can you tell me if someone in particular is there?...I know, but you should recognize her, she was our guide...Yeah, the mayor's daughter...Are you sure?...She did what?...Really? Wow...I guess they would...No, I thought I saw her, but it must have been someone else...Okay, I'll keep you posted...Thanks. Bye." He hung up, replacing the phone in his pocket as he turned to Cloud. "She's in Cosmo Canyon alright."

Cloud's brow furrowed. "I could have sworn I heard her voice..."

Zack laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I know how painful it is to be away from your girl, but don't worry about her, she's fine. She's even got some of the locals to agree to show her some of the trails in the canyon tomorrow. I guess there was a question of the local monsters being a problem, but she, ah, _demonstrated _that she is more than capable of taking care of herself."

Cloud nodded. "Thanks, Zack," he said, continuing up the road towards the mansion where they were now staying. _I'm hearing voices that aren't there and I can't even blame Hojo this time. Maybe I really am crazy,_he thought morosely.

They walked in silence until they reached the mansion's gate. "I guess there's not much else we can do tonight," Zack said, glancing at the darkened buildings down the street now that night had fallen. "Go get some sleep. I'll take the first shift."

** . . . **

The third day dawned bright and cheery, not a cloud in the sky as the sun peeked over the mountains. Flowers swayed softly in the breeze as the first rays of sunshine spilled into the valley. Cloud could even hear birds singing from his spot at one of the windows in the mansion. _How unfitting, _he thought, turning away from the picturesque scene. It was a bit unsettling that the horrific day that would shape the rest of his life would start out so peacefully.

_Less than twelve hours, _he thought, making his way down to the kitchen. _Sephiroth will become completely lost in his insanity in less than twelve hours._ He pulled out a frying pan and some eggs, falling into the familiar routine of making breakfast. _In less than twelve hours, the entire town will be burning._ He cracked two eggs, dropping them in the pan. _And not too long after that, Hojo will arrive._ He put two pieces of bread in the toaster, feeling anxious and slightly nauseous. _Less than twelve hours and the nightmare will start all over again. _He flipped the eggs over, not feeling all that hungry anymore.

He heard shuffling footsteps in the hall as he buttered the toast, the door to the kitchen opening not long after. "Morning," Zack greeted, using one hand to cover a yawn. "What are our options for breakfast?" he asked.

"Same as they were yesterday," Cloud replied, transferring the cooked eggs to a plate. "Unless you went shopping some time in the middle of the night. Here." He handed the plate to Zack.

Zack took the plate, looking a bit surprised. "Uh, thanks," he said, grabbing a fork and sitting at the table. He paused before taking the first bite. "Um, not to be rude but, these are edible, right?"

"It's kind of hard to mess up eggs, Zack," the blonde stated, leaning against the counter. "But yes, they're edible."

Zack took a bite and grinned, looking up at his comrade. His grin quickly changed into a small frown, his gaze becoming sharper as he studied Cloud's face. "You don't look so good," he said, a bit concerned.

Cloud brushed it off. "I didn't sleep that well last night." _Or, you know, at all._

"Hm." Zack took another bite of his breakfast, chewing pensively. "You could go back to bed, if you wanted to."

Cloud shook his head. "I'm not tired right now."

"Alright, you can get a nap later, then."

"Perhaps." Cloud shrugged noncommittally.

It didn't take long to clean up from breakfast and Cloud was back to his least favorite game in the world: waiting. He had always been a man of action. Knowing that something was going to happen only made it worse.

Zack spent the morning lounging about the mansion, as there wasn't really anything else to do. Cloud hid his anxiety well (at least, he liked to think so as Zack hadn't commented on it), but by noon he was about ready to tear his hair out. Saying he needed some fresh air, he left the mansion and began making his rounds about the town. He saw one or two people working in their yards and another one peeking through the drapes, but that was it.

He walked in a continuous circuit around the town, trying to keep himself occupied while willing the hours to pass more quickly. The day was getting warmer and his limbs seemed to be growing heavier with each step he took. Eventually he sat down under the tree in his mother's front yard, taking a break. Memories came unbidden to his mind, climbing the tree as a boy or hiding from the local bullies in its branches. It was also one of the few things that ShinRa hadn't replaced when the town was rebuilt.

"We're all worried about you, you know."

Cloud started at the unexpected voice, sounding so worried and so close to his ear. He sighed, rubbing his tired eyes with one hand. "I can't do this right now, Tifa," he muttered, not caring that he was likely talking to himself. As expected, she didn't answer.

His mind began to wander again and he felt himself relaxing against the rough bark, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. He was tired. "Missing one night of sleep has never affected me this much before," he muttered, a little irritated. "But, that was when I was enhanced." He yawned, stretching his arms. "Maybe, just for a few minutes," he mumbled, eyes sliding shut as he drifted off to sleep.

** . . . **

"Cloud? Cloud!"

The blonde slowly became aware of someone shaking him and calling his name over and over. He groaned, blindly raising a hand to his aching head and gingerly touching the knot forming on the side of his head. He opened to his eyes to see Zack bending over him, his features lit by a bright, flickering orange light. Relief flooded the SOLDIER's face and he helped the blonde sit up.

"What happened?" Cloud asked, closing his eyes and swaying slightly as his head throbbed.

"Looks like you were slammed into the house. My guess is you were caught in the repercussion from whatever spell Sephiroth used to do this."

Cloud forced his eyes open, finally taking in the scene around him. Everything was burning, just like in his memories. The hungry flames licked the wooden beams and raced across the rooftops, burst forth through windows and open doors as they eagerly consumed the town.

There was a heavy sigh next to him. "It looks like you were right," Zack said.

Cloud's eyes widened. "Zack! Sephiroth- he's headed for the reactor!" he said urgently.

Zack locked gazes with the blonde, his face grim. "You going to be alright?" he asked.

Cloud nodded.

"Alright then," Zack said, returning the gesture as he rose to his feet. "I have to stop him." And then he was gone, running as fast as he could and disappearing through the flames.

Cloud took a few precious minutes to recover (head wounds were the hardest to ignore as they tended to throw off your balance) before following. The trip to the reactor was a blur, his mind racing, and almost before he knew it, he found himself standing at the catwalk that led to the depths of the reactor. He eyes jumped to where his memory told him Tifa would be kneeling over her murdered father, but they weren't there. He shook his head, reminding himself that most of the townsfolk were safe elsewhere before pressing on.

In the next room, he saw the numerous pods filled with Hojo's twisted experiments, a metal staircase running up through the middle of them to a steel door with the name 'Jenova' bolted to the wall above it. The buster sword was lying on the ground and Zack was draped awkwardly over a badly damaged pod. He raised his head slightly as he saw the blonde.

"Cloud..." he grit out between clenched teeth. "You have to...stop Sephiroth!"

Cloud nodded, running up the staircase and scooping up the buster sword on the way. He raced through the doorway and up the thick pipe, coming up behind the general. Sephiroth was enraptured by the alien in the tank and didn't even realize Cloud was there until the blonde shoved the foot wide blade through his back.

Sephiroth slowly turned his head to regard the blonde, his face a mixture of surprise and disgust. Cloud wrenched the blade out, watching as the Silver General fell to his knees, bracing himself against the glass tube.

Remembering that stabbing him hadn't been enough to stop him the last time, Cloud raised the sword again, intent on removing the general's head. However, he no longer had the element of surprise on his side and Sephiroth wasn't about to go down without a fight. The SOLDIER twisted around, slashing out with the Masamune. Although the silver-haired man's actions were considerably slowed, Cloud barely had time to block the would-be fatal blow with his sword. The power behind it was another matter entirely, however, and he was flung through the air, colliding painfully with the unforgiving steel walls lining Jenova's chamber.

Pain blossomed all over his body and darkness closed in on his vision. _No!_ he thought, desperately clinging to consciousness and struggling to rise. _I can't fall yet...!_Groping blindly, he found a much slimmer metal pipe- a railing? -and clung to it, dragging himself to his feet. His vision finally cleared and he looked up in time to see Sephiroth's sword heading right for him.

There was no time to react. The long katana pierced his chest and slid out is back, completely impaling him. White-hot agony flooded his senses and he vaguely registered his feet were no longer on the floor. Sephiroth seemed to be speaking, but Cloud couldn't make out the words. _I...can't...let him...win...I...WON'T...let him...WIN!_

Adrenaline kicked into overdrive and Cloud raised his hands, gripping the blade tightly. Surprise, fatigue or both made Sephiroth lower the blade to where Cloud could touch the ground again. Not wasting any time, the blonde moved forward, jerking the sword forward and up and hooking the handle under Sephiroth's arm. With a gargantuan effort, he heaved the sword up and over, throwing the general in the depths of the reactor. The blonde reflexively clung to the rail as the Masamune was ripped from his chest, disappearing along with its master.

Stumbling away from the edge to avoid a similar fate, Cloud collapsed onto the ground. _Did it hurt this badly last time?_ he wondered, faintly. _I can't remember..._The darkness around the edges of his vision was coming back, but this time he welcomed it, eagerly succumbing to its numbing embrace.

** . . . **

Cloud felt like he was floating, skimming along the edge of consciousness. He would drift in and out, becoming more aware of the cold steel he was lying on or of the blood pooling around him, but it was all with a sense of detachedness, as if he was merely witnessing something that was happening to someone else. The pain was a faint echo of what it had been, his mind involuntarily slipping back towards the side of oblivion whenever a particularly sharp spike of agony tore through him.

It was like he was caught in limbo, not truly awake and yet not fully unconscious either. He did not try to force either, content to merely exist for the moment. Time didn't have much meaning in that state and he couldn't even begin to guess how much had passed when he heard muffled voices over him. He tensed as he recognized one of the voices, gasping involuntarily as a fresh wave of anguish washed over him, too quickly for his mind to retreat. The nasally, shrill voice of Professor Hojo wasn't one Cloud was likely to ever forget.

The words were nothing more than incomprehensible gibberish to his clouded mind, but the tone was one he was intimately familiar with. It had that excited lilt he only adopted when discussing some sort of breakthrough or a promising new experiment.

The blonde tried to open his eyes, somewhat surprised by how difficult that simple gesture was. His eyes felt like they were glued shut with lead weights resting on them. He tried harder, finally managing to get them both open about halfway. The sight that greeted him was not quite what he was expecting.

Although he couldn't seem to focus properly, the dark haired figure in white wasn't hard to identify as the mad scientist he loathed so much. What was confusing was the brunette dressed in black also leaning over him, her somewhat transparent image overlaid on Hojo's, or maybe it was the other way around. The two seemed to move through each other, as if they were both there and yet not, at the same time. Cloud blinked, trying to make sense of what his eyes were telling him.

Hojo gestured to someone out of Cloud's sight and a trooper stepped forward, kneeling beside him. The trooper and the woman both leaned down and slid an arm under his shoulders, lifting him up. This wouldn't have been odd had he not been able to feel both their arms in _exactly the same spot_. The trooper lifted him roughly, heedless of the gaping wounds as he moved the blonde to where the scientist directed while the woman was much more gentle, carefully moving him to sit in a chair- no, he was laying on a hand-held stretcher -before softly brushing her lips across his forehead. Cloud closed his eyes, the strange duality of what he was seeing making him more than a little nauseous.

Hojo was talking again and Cloud felt himself being lifted as two grunts picked up the stretcher and started walking. His wounds exploded with new pain as he was jostled about and he choked back a breathless gasp. Soft fingers caressed his cheek, Tifa's strong and pleading voice ringing clearly in his ears as consciousness left him once more.

"Please wake up."

** . . . **

Awareness returned to Cloud in stages. The first thing he noticed was his eyes were already open, despite the fact that he couldn't seem to make them focus. He felt highly disoriented and he tried to recall where he was and what was wrong with him. _I was...at the reactor...Sephiroth..._ He blinked slowly as the events came back to him. _Hojo has likely moved me to the ShinRa mansion, _he realized grimly. It also explained why he had a pitifully limited control of his body at the moment.

Discovery number two was a bit more unexpected. He seemed to be sitting instead of lying on a table or suspended in a tube of liquid mako. _I'm...surprisingly comfortable, _he realized with more than a little confusion. Hojo had little use for the comfort of his experiments, a fact that was usually made painfully clear in relatively short order.

The third realization only added to his confusion. As far as he could tell, there were no needles inserted anywhere in his body, no unknown chemicals burning their way through his bloodstream. Aside from the temporary paralysis (which also seemed to be lessening), he felt completely normal. _That can't be! Without Hojo's meddling, I would have died from the wounds Sephiroth inflicted! And, my injuries are gone! This is impossible!_ He shook his head, the motion sluggish. _What on Gaia is going on here!_

As he gained more control over his body, his eyes were finally able to focus properly on his surroundings. He was sitting in a rocking chair, a dark green blanket draped carefully over his lap and tucked securely around his legs. Blinking a little at that, he raised his gaze and froze. Wide blue orbs swept the room, taking in the familiar desk and worn dresser along the far wall, as well as the easily recognizable drapes framing the window he was facing. He felt his mouth drop open. _I'm not in the ShinRa Mansion..._ he realized numbly, staring out the rain-streaked window at the familiar landscape. _I'm in Edge. This is my room in Tifa's bar. But, how can that be? Without the destruction of Nibelheim, she would have had no reason to head for Midgar, ultimately joining AVALANCHE to get revenge against ShinRa._ His eyes lingered on the ruins visible in the distance. _Meteor has fallen, that much is obvious. As there is something of the city left, it's safe to say that Sephiroth was also defeated for the second time. But, how?_

Cloud closed his eyes, drawing in a deep, slightly shaky breath and releasing it slowly. _Alright, focus. I've somehow jumped back to the present. That isn't any weirder than winding up in the past, right?_ He nodded resolutely, pushing himself to his feet. The blanket fell to the floor and he bit back a groan as his stiff muscles screamed in protest. _Why is my entire body so sore? _he wondered, painfully stretching to try and ease the aches and pains that seemed to run from head to toe.

He carefully staggered the length of the room a couple times, trying to get used to walking again. _How long have I been sitting there? It feels like I haven't moved in ages! _he thought, carefully trying to work the stiffness out of his muscles.

A faint red light caught his attention and he slowly walked over to the bedside table where the blue and white object was sitting. _A baby monitor? _he wondered, staring blankly at the foreign object. He couldn't help the quick glance around the room, looking for a crib, before belatedly realizing that, given its location, it was probably meant for him. And the red light indicated it was turned on.

Knowing he wouldn't find the answers he sought in the room, he went in search of the other occupants of the house, walking slowly out of necessity (to reduce the numerous aches and pains) and quietly out of habit. The clock in the hall read 2:17, so he headed down to the bar, knowing Tifa would likely be getting ready for the evening crowd.

He paused in the doorway at the bottom of the stairs, seeing Tifa washing cups at the bar. Her long, dark hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail to keep it out of her way as she worked, a few escaped tendrils blocking his view of her face. The corresponding baby monitor was clipped onto her belt, resting far back on her side to keep it from getting wet.

_Tifa's here,_ he thought, leaning against the doorframe. _Did I do something wrong? Did I not change the events the way I was supposed to and so I was sent back to the unaltered future? This doesn't make any sense! _he thought, shaking his head. The only way to find out what was going on was to ask. He cleared his throat, trying to find a way to phrase the question without sounding like he was crazy. "Um, Tifa?"

Tifa whirled around at the sound of his voice, shock and surprise covering her features. It was quickly replaced with overwhelming relief and she had crossed the room and pulled in into her arms before he could even blink. "Cloud!" she cried, holding him tightly. "You're alright!"

He just stood there, her unusually affectionate display taking him completely by surprise. "Uh..."

"Oh, you probably shouldn't be up yet," she said, still smiling brightly as she pulled back and ushered him over to sit at one of the booths.

Cloud let her lead him over, wincing slightly as he sat down. "I'm fine," he reassured her as she frowned slightly. "Just a bit stiff is all."

Tifa raised an eyebrow, as if asking if that was all, but didn't press the issue. "I supposed that's to be expected," she said lightly, glancing down at the suds covering her hands and wrists. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, pulling a rag from her back pocket and drying her hands. "I probably got the back of your shirt all wet."

Cloud shrugged it off. Damp clothing was rather low on his list of concerns at the moment. "Tifa..." he began, hesitating slightly. "What happened?"

She looked at him a bit strangely before sliding into the booth across from him. "What do you remember?" she asked.

_More than I'm going to tell you,_ he thought. He had enough problems without having her think he was crazy on top of everything else. _It's probably best to stick with what happened before I went back, _he mused. "Well, I was in the mountains when a storm hit and took shelter in one of the caves connecting with the Mythril Mines. I was trying to find one of the lower exits when I ran across the monster that has been plaguing the Chocobo Ranch. I killed it and...I don't remember much after that," he lied, shrugging.

Tifa nodded. "Well, as I understand it, you fell into a pool of mako," she explained. "I don't know how long you were there before Chloe and Billy found you. I guess the chocobo you were riding returned to the ranch, but wouldn't let them catch her and put her back in the corral. They figured out she was trying to lead them to you, but Bill can't ride anymore and he wouldn't let his grandkids go until he was sure the monster was gone." She shrugged, picking at the edges of the rag as she avoided his gaze. "Anyway, they contacted me after you were found and, as there isn't really anything a hospital can do for mako poisoning, the doctors agreed to let me bring you home."

Cloud nodded, remaining silent as he took it all in. _So, the Planet sent me back to the point when I was initially pulled into the past. Why? What did I do wrong? What was I supposed to change that I didn't? _he wondered. "I long was I out of it?" he asked. He looked up suddenly, only just noticing the absence of the third resident of the bar. "And, where's Marlene?"

"A week, week and a half," she answered, still focusing on the rag as she shrugged. "And Marlene's staying with Vincent in Kalm right now. I...I didn't want her to see you like that," she said, her voice dropping slightly.

Cloud froze, Tifa's confusing words at the reactor ringing in his ears. _"Thanks for taking her. I don't think I could take care of both of them right now and, honestly, I'd rather she didn't see him like this_." Suddenly, everything clicked together in his mind and he felt like kicking himself for not figuring it out sooner. He put his elbows on the table and let his head fall into his hands, stifling the urge to laugh because he was sure it would have a hysterical edge to it. _Mako poisoning. I didn't go back to the past- I was just stuck in my head the whole time! I'm such a fool! I knew I fell into the Lifestream and I know first hand how that affects a person, physically and psychologically! Then, all the strange comments from Tifa that no one else could hear, all the times I heard them when she wasn't even there- could the answer have been anymore obvious? It takes a special kind of idiot to miss all those blatant hints! _He felt a hand cover his own, still slightly damp from washing dishes.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He sighed, forcing himself to meet her eyes although the reassuring smile just wouldn't come. "Yeah. It's just..." He shrugged, trying to come up with a semi-reasonable excuse. "A week and a half, you know? Kind of a long time to be out of it."

She nodded. "Yeah. But, it wasn't as long as last time, right?" she asked.

"No, but last time I was...well, I was pretty messed up," he said, thinking back to what little he remembered of that trip through the Lifestream and what Tifa had told him afterwards. _Still seems like I'm the master of my own illusionary world,_ he thought bitterly. "It shouldn't have taken me a week and a half to snap out of it." _Am I really that desperate for a chance to try and make things right?_

Tifa squeezed his hand. "We can't change what's already happened," she said a bit sadly. "All we can do is take it one day at a time, moving forward and hoping for a better tomorrow."

That comment hit a little too close to home and he glanced at her sharply, wondering if she had somehow ascertained what he had experienced while sitting in a vegetative state. Studying her face, he realized she looked tired. Her drooping eyelids indicating at least one night of troubled sleep and the shadows underneath her eyes attested to several more besides. Her usual excellent posture was gone; shoulders slumped as she leaned rather heavily on the table.

Cloud's eyes widened marginally as understanding dawned and he glanced around the room, only just noticing the bin of dirty cups at the opposite end of the bar from the sink while several of the cups she used for display only were missing from the shelf. He also realized that the floor hadn't been swept or mopped after closing that morning and several tables obviously needed to be wiped down. Tifa was a bit of a clean freak and always insisted on tidying the bar before going to bed, no matter how busy the night was. "You've kept the bar open the entire time, haven't you?" he asked, his voice only slightly accusing.

Tifa blinked at the abrupt turn in the conversation. "Well, yes," she said hesitantly. "Why?"

"Have you hired any help yet?" he asked.

"I don't need help, I can handle the bar by myself," she stated, falling into the old argument between them.

"You have proven yourself quite capable of doing so in the past," he agreed, "but you should know that you can't do so by yourself while also caring for someone with mako poisoning."

She scowled slightly at that. "I've managed just fine so far," she said a little testily. "And it wouldn't kill you to say 'thank you' instead of criticizing me."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I do appreciate you taking care of me. I just don't like to see you running yourself ragged to do it."

"I'm fine, Cloud," she argued. "Just a little tired."

"Uh-huh. And I suppose you have a reason why you were washing cups that are never used instead of the dirty ones? And, why you neglected to clean the tables and floors?" he asked.

Tifa blinked, her mouth falling open slightly in surprise as she looked around to room. "I...I guess I forgot to do it before I went to bed," she said faintly.

Cloud shook his head, a slight smile on his face as he stood and walked behind the bar.

"What are you doing?" Tifa asked as he rummaged around in the cabinets below the register before pulling something out.

Cloud wrote 'Closed for Cleaning' on the paper and taped it to the door of the bar. As he shut the door, he turned to Tifa who was standing behind him with her arms crossed, looking just a little irritated.

"Really? You think you can close the bar, just like that?" she demanded, scowling.

"You're obviously exhausted," he said. "I think you could use a day off."

"Then why don't you cover for me instead of closing the bar?"

Cloud paused. There weren't many things he hated more than dealing with drunken idiots. "I'm feeling suddenly faint. Obviously I must not be fully recovered and shouldn't be running the bar tonight," he deadpanned.

Tifa held her scowl in place for a few more seconds before chuckling softly. "You're right. I am tired," she agreed. "But, I've got to clean up this mess before I can get a nap."

"Go on," Cloud urged, pushing her towards the stairs. "I'll clean up down here."

She turned to him, surprised. "You? But, I thought you couldn't stand the strong smell of cleaning products?"

Cloud shut his eyes, mentally preparing himself for a vicious assault on his olfactory senses. "I can't," he stated, grimacing. "But, I'll suffer through it tonight. Consider this my way of saying 'thank you,' " he said, smirking slightly.

Tifa shook her head, smiling. "You don't have to, you know," she said, looking back at him over her shoulder. "I didn't mean what I said earlier."

"I know. I want to." Cloud needed something to keep him busy for a while as much as she needed some uninterrupted sleep. "Go on," he repeated, giving her another light push towards the stairs.

Tifa finally acquiesced, her feet dragging slightly as she mounted the stairs. Cloud retrieved the broom and began sweeping up the stray napkins and other rubbish littering the floor, pondering Tifa's accidentally accurate statement. _Take it one day at a time, huh? _he pondered, sliding the chairs out to get under the table. _I think I can do that._

**. . . **_  
_

**The End**


End file.
